Audeze LCD-X Over Ear Open Back Headphone new 2021 version Creator Package with carry case

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Nonetheless, I’m happy to report that the LCD-X 2021 is a totally different headphone when it comes to its midrange performance. But more on that later. In the compensated frequency response plots above we see the evolution of the LCD-2. Probably the most important area of change is between 400Hz and 3kHz. This is an area critical to the proper reproduction of the human voice and its overtones. I really wish we had proper target curves to help guide our view here, but my understanding leads me to think that we don't want to see a precipitous drop after 1kHz, but rather more flat to 2kHz then gently sloping down thereafter to 10 or 15dB down at 20kHz...of course in the real world things get pretty wonky above 5kHz and you'll never see a flat line up there. Anyway, it's pretty obvious that the LCD-2 has been on a trend to make the transition after 1kHz more gentle and to lift the 1-3kHz area. Above 10kHz one can't read too much into things, but it does seem the later headphones have somewhat more energy than the older models. The strings come alive, and you can hear the subtle vibrations and harmonics that give the instrument its unique character.

The LCD-X also offers a spacious and immersive Soundstage, though you’ll find conflicting points of view here as well.

I decided to dig into the many headphone measurement spreadsheets I've acquired over the last three years since starting InnerFidelity and compare the numerous models tested. A couple of things to note: Some of the traces for early models of the LCD-3 are an average of three or four headphones; the FR traces of these models will be somewhat less noisy in the treble due to the averaging of multiple cans response. Also, please remember that headphone measurements are notoriously difficult, and while I try to be very careful the data is not 100% reliable. So please, don't try to read too much into these data, especially above 5kHz where many factors come into play.

Technical performance - I'm going to switch away from my regular format and talk about LCD-X 2021's impressive technical performance first because that is the first thing that grabbed my attention. It has a very nice soundstage, very good detail retrieval and even better left to right separation. It not only makes you aware of every little nuance in the song since everything is so well separated, spaced out and cleanly presented but also makes for a very interesting and exciting listen since the signature is very musical. While most headphones only need an iPad level control set to 1/2 for movie sound, I usually have it around 3/4 on my iPad with the LCD-X. I never need more gain than I have, so all is good. The mid-range performance of the LCD-X is equally impressive and complements its exceptional bass qualities. Comparing the 2019 fazor version of the LCD3 to the new LCD-X 2021 shows us one thing – Audeze is really stepping up their game. What has once been their flagship headphone, is now struggling in comparison to their new, more budget-friendly planar LCD headphone. People say it and it rarely happens with top level equipment, but I really do keep hearing new things in my music I haven't heard before with the LCD-X, and I have a lot of state-of-the-art headphones and loudspeakers. Weird, but true.

While sound quality is superb and the price is reasonable, these are big and clumsy. Don't walk around with these on your head; get the Audeze LCD-1 for that, which sound about as good for one-third the price. I’m not going to say that all Audeze headphones sound the same (because they don’t), but… they do all share very similar tuning and graphs of all generally follow the same trajectory: flat bottomless bass, a rise at 1kHz, a gentle to somewhat not-so-gentle slope (LCD-3) down into 2/3kHz, and then a relatively darker sounding treble.

Let’s start with the bass, shall we? It’s an Audeze headphone at the end of the day, so you’d be expecting a great bass response…and you’ll definitely get it here. We’ll delve into its resolution, one of its standout characteristics, and explore how it uncovers intricate musical details that can elevate your listening experience. Above is a compensated frequency response plot for all three current models with Fazors. Of note are the differences in low bass—and I 'm a little skeptical of the measurements accuracy here; pad material differences between the three models interacting with the artificial materials of my measurement head may be at play. My guess is they perform more similarly on real heads with acoustic leaks due to hair and such. None the less, the LCD-X did seem the punchiest of the bunch in the lows. These are not expensive. If you think these are expensive, you're approaching this from the wrong direction. These aren't electronic devices like TVs or imported Chinese bluetooth headphones or computers that go obsolete or fall apart every couple of years; these are professional American-made wired headphones that don't go obsolete and should last a lifetime. I still have expensive headphones I bought in the 1970s and 1980s that work just as well today as when they were new.For music lovers, Reveal+ is mostly a novelty, allowing you to feel like you’re in the recording studio, but the deviation from the final mix is quite significant. Audio quality The SR-009 can be bright; one can argue that the LCD-X are actually more neutral. I didn't compare the LCD-X to the STAX SR-007 Mk II, which are warmer and might sound much more similar to the LCD-X.